urn:taro:tslac.30049Texas State Board of Medical Examiners:An Inventory of Minutes at the Texas State Archives,
1907-1986,
1988-2002Finding aid by Tony BlackThis EAD finding aid was created in part with funds provided
by the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board for the Texas
Archival Resources Online project.Texas State Library and Archives Commission
May 2003Finding aid encoded by Tony Black in EAD Version 1.0 as part of
the TARO project,
May 2003.Finding aid written inEnglish.November 2004.Additional changes after reprocessing of minute books by Tony
Black, August 2003.New accession added by Tony Black, July 22, 2003.Finding aid converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by TARO using the
conversion stylesheet v1to02.xsl,
Overview
Texas State ArchivesTexas State Board of Medical
Examiners.Minutes1907-1986, 1988-2002These records comprise
copies of the minutes (with supporting documentation) of the Texas State Board
of Medical Examiners, dating 1907-1986, 1988-2002. The first two books
(covering 1907-1939) contain indexes. Board orders and committee reports were
initially incorporated into the minutes, then (beginning in the late 1980s)
added as attachments. Minutes document the examination, licensing,
disciplinary, and administrative functions of the board. 11.88 cubic
ft.English.
Restrictions on Access

None.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and
may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received
by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The
researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17
U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

None.

Agency History

Initial licensing of medical practitioners in Texas began in 1837 with
the creation of the Board of Medical Censors by the 2nd Congress of the
Republic of Texas. It was abolished in 1848 by the 2nd Legislature of the State
of Texas.

In 1873 (13th Texas Legislature, Chapter 55), and again in 1876 (15th
Legislature, Chapter 140) legislation was passed which directed the presiding
judge of each district court to create a three-member district Board of Medical
Examiners for the licensing or certification of medical practitioners in each
district. A state-wide board was not re-established until the passage of the
Medical Practices Act in 1901 (House Bill 173, 27th Texas Legislature),
creating three medical boards: the Board of Medical Examiners, the Board of
Eclectic Medical Examiners, and the Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners.
Each board had nine members. This law specified that
no member shall be a professor or teacher in any medical school.

In 1907, these three boards were supplanted by the Texas State Board
of Medical Examiners, established by the 30th Legislature (Senate Bill 26) to
administer the examination and licensing of physicians and surgeons, prescribe
their qualifications, and provide procedures for the registration and
revocation of licenses. The Board, when created, consisted of 11 members
appointed by the governor for two-year terms, and was required to meet twice a
year. In 1931 (House Bills 6 and 7, 42nd Legislature) the number of members was
raised to 12, and the term increased to six years. In 1981, the Texas
Legislature increased the number of members to 15, adding doctors of osteopathy
and public members (Senate Bill 5, 67th Legislature, 1st Called Session). That
number was raised to 18 (adding three more public members) in 1993 (Senate Bill
1062, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session).

The current 18-member board consists of nine licensed physicians who
must be graduates of a reputable medical school with a degree of doctor of
medicine (MD); three licensed physicians who must be graduates of a reputable
medical school with a degree of doctor of osteopathic medicine (OD) (both types
of physicians must have practiced medicine for at least five years, including
three years in Texas); and six members who represent the general public. All
members are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate
for overlapping six-year terms. The governor designates the president of the
board.

In 1923 the 38th Texas Legislature passed the
Act to Define and Regulate the Practice of
Chiropody (House Bill 487). Under the terms of this law a five-member
State Board of Chiropody Examiners was created to administer the examinations
and license those seeking to practice chiropody in Texas. Membership of the
Board consisted of three members of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
and two chiropodists appointed by the Board of Medical Examiners. The secretary
of the Board of Medical Examiners served as the Chiropody Board's secretary. In
1939 the board was made a separate, independent state agency, the Texas State
Board of Chiropody Examiners. In 1967 the name was changed to Texas State Board
of Podiatry Examiners, and in 1995 to Texas State Board of Podiatric Medical
Examiners.

In 1993, the 73rd Texas Legislature created the Texas State Board of
Acupuncture Examiners (Senate Bill 1062) and the Texas Physician Assistant
Advisory Council (House Bill 2498), later called the Texas State Board of
Physician Assistant Examiners, each of them composed of nine members,
administratively attached to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.

Scope and Contents of the Records

These records comprise copies of the minutes (with supporting
documentation) of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, dating 1907-1986,
1988-2002. The first two books (originally bound into volumes covering
1907-1933 and 1933-1939) contain indexes. Minutes are missing from part of 1986
and all of 1987. Agenda are included with minutes for a few meetings in 1993.
Minutes for June 1975-February 1981 are also on microfilm.

Originally included (in the first two volumes) were minutes for the
Texas State Board of Chiropody Examiners, 1923-1939. These have been separated
(where possible) and are now located with the
Texas State Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners, Minutes,
1923-1939, 1982-1997, 0.48 cubic ft. When the other side of the page
contained Medical Examiners minutes, the Board of Chiropody Examiners minutes
were photocopied and the copies placed with the minutes of that board; the
original pages remain with Medical Examiners.

Over time, meetings of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
generally became more frequent and more complex. The various board orders were
originally incorporated into the text of the minutes, but eventually (by the
late 1980s), they were included as attachments or appendices; likewise (by the
early 1990s) for the various committee minutes.

The examination function of the board is represented by investigations
into the condition of medical programs at Texas colleges (1907-1912); by
development of examination questions (in the earlier minutes); by lists of
examination scores below passing (with the number--not the name--of the
examinee, the score, the subject, and the decision-e.g.,
repeat, or be
raised to 75); by lists of medical schools in the United States; and by
reports of the Examination committee and the Medical school committee.

The licensing function of the board is represented by establishment
(in the earliest minutes, 1907-1912) of procedures for verification (confirming
the credentials of medical doctors in practice prior to 1907); by cancellation
of licenses for nonpayment and by request (listing name of licensee, degree,
license number, and mailing address); and by reports of the Reciprocity
committee (listing names and degrees of those granted licenses), and of the
Licensure committee.

The disciplinary function of the board is represented by
investigations into charges of selling licenses by former Board members prior
to the enactment of the 1907 law; by investigations into drug abuse by members
of the medical profession during the mid-1930s; by various board orders
(rehabilitation orders, agreed board orders, modification requests/termination
request orders, nunc pro tunc orders, temporary suspension/automatic
orders/automatic actions, termination of suspension orders, and mediated
settlement agreements); and by reports of the Disciplinary Panel meetings, the
Disciplinary Process Review committee, and the Standing Orders committee).

Administrative affairs considered by the board included rule changes,
the operating budget, and the executive director's report. Also related are the
reports of the following committees: Executive, Finance, Legislative, Long
Range Planning, Public Information/Profile, and Ad hoc committees (such as the
one To Study Operation of the Board and Central Office). Other committee
reports not easily classifiable include those of the Non-Profit Health
Organizations committee, and the Telemedicine committee.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily
reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to
provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

Arrangement of the Records

These records are arranged chronologically. Because the earliest
minutes (1907-1939) were originally bound into volumes and printed on both
sides, frequently the beginning of one meeting is on the reverse side of the
page containing the end of the preceding meeting; in these cases where the
minutes are split between two folders, the last page of a meeting is found in
the next folder.

Index Terms

The terms listed here were used to catalog the
records. The terms can be used to find similar or related records.

Texas State Board of Medical Examiners,
Directory of medical practitioners authorized to practice
medicine in Texas, 1960-1967 Texas State Board of Medical Examiners,
Directory of licensed and registered physicians and
surgeons in Texas, 1968- Texas State Board of Medical Examiners,
Handbook of information with official list of authorized
medical practitioners of the State of Texas and extracts from the law,
1936-1959
Processing Information

Tony Black, June 1998, December 1998, July 2000, August 2001, May
2003, August 2003, April 2004, October 2004

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information
Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the
Texas State Board of Medical Examiners on August 14, 1981; June 24, 1992; June
9, 1998; December 3, 1998; July 12, 2000; June 18, 2001; October 9, 2001; and
July 23, 2003.

Accruals

The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners regularly transfers minutes
to the Texas State Archives; they will be added to this finding aid on an
annual basis.

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Minutes, Texas State Board of
Medical Examiners. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State
Library and Archives Commission.

Other Formats for the Records

The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners periodically mounts its
recent
minutes and
agenda (both for the board and for committees) on
the agency web site (
http://www.tsbme.state.tx.us/index.htm).